NASA Technology Investments Yield Benefits

1. Daniel Lockney
Office of the Chief Technologist
NASA Headquarters
NASA Technology Investments Yield Benefits
www.nasa.gov
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2.  NASA R&D yields tangible
and economic benefit in
addition to meeting
mission goals
 Continued investment
in new technology
development will
deliver new benefits
Technology Investment

3. NASA Technology Transfer
 A primary objective noted in the 2011 NASA
Strategic Plan: to “drive advances in science,
technology, and exploration to enhance
knowledge, education, innovation, economic
vitality, and stewardship of Earth”
 The 1958 Aeronautics and Space Act that
created NASA mandated that the Agency
transfer its technologies “for the benefit of all
mankind”
 In addition to enabling missions to the stars,
NASA R&D produces ancillary benefits to the
government, economy, and general public that
are visible in our everyday lives, from the
grocery store to the hospital

4. “As we look to the future,
the benefits that we will
have for example in fields
like health are simply
unimaginable.”
—Richard Nixon
“What impresses
me about the
program is the
sheer number of
spinoffs and their
great variety.”
—Gerald Ford
“I have to admire what our
efforts in space have
produced. Better tools for
heart surgery, improved
techniques for fighting cancer
and many more achievements
which can help all of us live
longer.”
— Jimmy Carter
“People are not aware of
the enormous technological
achievements that directly
benefit and will continue to
benefit all of us, not only in
this country but all over the
world.”
—Ronald Reagan
Historical Views of Space Technology

5. Why spend money on NASA at all? Why spend money solving problems in
space when we don’t lack for problems to solve here on the ground?…
You and I know this is a false choice….For pennies on the dollar, the Space
Program has fueled jobs and entire industries.
—President Barack Obama
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs

6. Health and Medicine
Spinoffs
have
occurred in
every
market
Information Technology
Consumer Goods
Energy and
Environment
Industrial Productivity
Public Safety
Transportation
With over 1,800 recorded NASA spinoffs, NASA technologies influence our lives in a
variety of ways—making us safer, healthier, and more efficient.
NASA in Your Life

7. http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/
Educated and
Entertained
Enhanced Safety
Saved
Lives
Increased
Efficiency
Preserved the
Environment
Created
New
Markets
Improved Economic Competitiveness
Created
Jobs
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs

8. NASA has long partnered with ORBITEC to
develop rocket and spacecraft propulsion
design
ORBITEC created higher-powered, lower-
cost, versatile, and even reusable vortex
hybrid rocket engines that effectively manage
ultra-high pressure (UHP) flows
HMA, a subsidiary of ORBITEC, took the
design ideas from these advanced rockets
and applied the technology to water delivery
systems for firefighting
HMA consistently drew from the advances of
the NASA ORBITEC partnership, producing
multiple suppression delivery systems,
including hoses and vehicles
Spinoff 2011 Public Safety
High-Pressure Systems Suppress Fires in Seconds
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs
In one test, HMA put out a
fire 80 percent faster than
a traditional system while
using only 6 percent as
much water

9. Marshall engineer Frank Nola developed a device for
reducing energy waste in small induction motors
By controlling the voltage in accordance with the
motor’s load, the Nola device saves energy,
translating into savings in cost and resource
The company licensed the technology, made a series
of patented improvements, and now markets the
NASA-derived technology globally
The commercial device includes a “soft start”
functionality that gradually introduces power,
eliminating stresses and increasing the motor’s
lifetime
Spinoff 2007
Title of photo
Environmental Resources
Voltage Controller Saves Energy, Prolongs Life of Motors
Common applications include mixers,
conveyors, elevators, and escalators.
The technology is installed at airports,
universities, casinos, and department
stores
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs

10. NASA invented VICAR (Video Image
Communication and Retrieval) software to
analyze images from NASA space missions
One of the inventors wanted to apply the
technology for health care diagnosis
Partnering with the University of Southern
California, the image-analysis software was
successfully used with ultrasound images of
arteries to see plaque buildup and arterial wall
thickness
Gary F. Thompson obtained an exclusive license
for technology and invested money to start
Medical Technologies International Inc. (MTI),
which now provides ArterioVision
Spinoff 2007 Health and Medicine
Noninvasive Test Detects Cardiovascular Disease
Used across the world,
ArterioVision measures the artery
wall to provide an “age” of
arteries, which shows a person’s
risk for heart attack or stroke; the
technology is in all 50 states
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs

11. NASA launched the first of its inflatable space
structures in the form of large, metalized
balloons—the Echo satellites, in 1960
ManTech SRS Technologies received Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding
to develop an inflatable solar concentrator; the
technology was applicable to inflatable
antennas
GATR licensed the technology from SRS and
improved it through a Glenn Space Act
Agreement
Certified by the Federal Communications
Commission, the ground-based inflatable
antennas are transported in two portable cases
and can be quickly deployed in remote areas
Spinoff 2010 Public Safety
Inflatable Antennas Support Emergency Communication
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs
GATR provided
communications after
Hurricane Katrina,
wildfires in California,
and the 2010 Haiti
earthquake

12. Space suits for the Apollo missions required an
outer layer that would be durable, strong,
lightweight, flexible, and noncombustible
In exploring fiberglass fabric options for
architectural use, Birdair Structures Inc.
collaborated with the same private companies that
developed the fabric for NASA
Birdair used the PTFE fabric to develop a
lightweight, tensile membrane for roofs, skylights,
and canopies
Birdair’s roofing covers major transportation hubs,
sports facilities, and convention centers, including
the Georgia Dome, Denver airport, and the Dallas
Cowboys Stadium
Spinoff 2009 Industrial Productivity
Tensile Fabrics Enhance Architecture Around the World
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs
Birdair has become a
multimillion-dollar
company with nearly
900 landmark tensile
structures worldwide

13. Research and testing by Langley engineer Richard
Whitcomb demonstrated the effectiveness of winglets
in reducing performance-inhibiting drag
Further flight tests conducted at Dryden validated
Whitcomb’s findings
Aviation Partners Inc. and The Boeing Company
collaborated to form Aviation Partners Boeing and
apply a new form of the NASA-proven technology to
Boeing aircraft
The Blended Winglet technology improves winglet
aerodynamics
Spinoff 2010 Transportation
Winglets Save Billions of Dollars in Fuel Costs
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs
Blended Winglets are now
featured on many aircraft,
with an estimated savings of
more than 2 billion gallons of
jet fuel as of 2010, reducing
costs by $4 billion and carbon
dioxide emissions by 21.5
million tons

14. JPL researchers explored ways to significantly
miniaturize cameras on interplanetary
spacecraft while maintaining scientific image
quality
A team led by Eric Fossum developed an
energy-efficient light sensor with all of its
components integrated on a single chip
Fossum and other JPL engineers licensed the
sensor technology and founded Photobit to
pursue commercial applications
The company was acquired and later spun out
as Aptina
The NASA-derived sensors are now
incorporated into digital cameras, automotive
and surveillance cameras, and medical
imaging devices
Spinoff 2010 Consumer Goods
Image Sensors Enhance Camera Technologies
One of every three
cell phone cameras
worldwide features
Aptina’s sensors;
the company has
shipped over 1
billion sensors
The Benefits of NASA Spinoffs

15. NVision Solutions Inc. of Mississippi: 73 jobs
Mikro Systems Inc. of Virginia: 37 jobs
Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation
of Virginia: 510 jobs
AlterG Inc. of California: 65 jobs
Martek Biosciences of Maryland: 500+ jobs
Bloom Energy of California: In the process
of adding 1,000 jobs
Sierra Lobo Inc. of Ohio: 400 jobs
GATR Technologies of Alabama: 20 jobs
 Of the over 14,400 jobs reported due to recent NASA technology transfer efforts (64 companies contributed to this
total), the following subset shows some highlights:
Recent Examples of Jobs Created Through NASA Tech Transfer

16. NASA PREDECISIONAL
NVision Solutions Inc. of Mississippi: $2.5 million
BRS Aerospace of Minnesota: about $20 million for 2010 alone
SpaceForm Inc. of Michigan: $6 million
SpaceMicro of California: grew from a $1 million company
to a $8 million company
Martek Biosciences Corporation of Maryland:
$450 million per year
Recently acquired by DSM Inc. for $1.1 billion, not added to total
Barrett Technology Inc. of Massachusetts: $10 million
LifeWings Partners of Tennessee: $3 million per year
GATR Technologies of Alabama: $8.6 million
Amnis Corporation of Washington: $10 million
 Of the over $5 billion in revenue reported due to recent NASA technology transfer
efforts (72 companies contributed to this total), the following highlights some of the
successes:
Recent Examples of Revenue Generated Through
NASA Tech Transfer

17. Advanced Circulatory Systems Inc. of Minnesota: CPR assist
devices provide up to a 57-percent increase in the survival
rate of heart attack victims
Givens Marine Survival Company of Rhode Island:
Specialized life rafts have saved the lives of 400+ sailors to date
BRS Aerospace of Minnesota: Whole plane parachutes have
saved the lives of 266 pilots and passengers to date
LifeWings Partners of Tennessee: Operational training in hospitals
has resulted in an almost 50-percent drop in observed
to expected deaths
MicroMed Technology Inc. of Texas: 450+ patients
have received life-saving heart pumps, accounting for
130+ patient years of life
www.nasa.gov
 Of the over 440,000 lives saved as a direct result of NASA technology
transfer (26 companies contributed to this total), these are but a few
examples:
Recent Examples of Lives Saved Through
NASA Tech Transfer

18. www.sti.nasa.gov/spinoff/database
NASA Spinoff http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/
The Spinoff Database

19. www.nasa.gov/city
NASA Spinoff http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/
NASA @ Home and City

20. Daniel Lockney
Technology Transfer Program Executive
Office of the Chief Technologist
NASA Headquarters
daniel.p.lockney@nasa.gov
office: 202-358-2037
cell: 202-341-5006
Twitter.com/NASA_Spinoff
Facebook.com/nasainyourlife
Contact Information

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